


Demon Of The Frozen Bay

by A_Toxic_Melody



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Renaissance, British, Dark, Dark Magic, Dark Russia (Hetalia), Drama, Drama & Romance, England Needs Tea (Hetalia), Fantasy, France (Country), France Being France (Hetalia), Historical Hetalia, Latin Hetalia, Magic, Magic England (Hetalia), Middle Ages, Must Read, Other, Poor England (Hetalia), Psychological Drama, Read, Reader-Insert, Renaissance Era, Renaissance Faires, Russia, Russia has Issues (Hetalia), To Read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-05-29 17:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15077717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Toxic_Melody/pseuds/A_Toxic_Melody
Summary: "So, do we have a deal?"[This will be a compromise of a regular romance story, and a x reader story, the main character will have a generic name in which readers may feel free to switch their name in with their's, as the larger identity of that character's physical looks and beliefs will be mainly shrouded. People that don't like x readers will then feel free to focus on the main character as their own individual with a character arc, as they will be given one. ]





	1. De la Lumière du Matin

Back when I was a child... I can remember the old, old maid that had lived with us would tell me stories during the night. Various tales that had been passed on from her ancestors, from one generation to the next until she was the only one left to tell them. 

 

She spoke of stories that were set off in far off lands, with exotic names decorated in foreign silks and plants, she spoke of her people, faced with ridicule, enslavement, often molded like clay into a mockery of themselves, like foolish gremlins. However, near the end of every story, she would speak of hope. Hope that had been resonating from the character's hearts, specs of courage that they would pick up from the cold ground, they would smile to each other bitter sweetly. And every story would end with a moral crafted only for me. 

 

I adored hearing these tales as a child, once the sun began to fall down, I would wait by her bedroom door for her to come. Until one night, 

 

She didn't come back. 

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

"Good Morning Your Graciousness" the announcer began, as she started to call off the same speech I've heard on a daily basis for ten years, as my ears were trained to tune her out almost instantly.  
Blah blah, something about children, blah blah something about the prices of coal, wool, and wood during this time of year.  
All things that I already knew would turn out fine in the end, or didn't even matter to my kingdom in the grand scheme of things. 

 

Glancing aimlessly at the frosty window to my side, my mind began to wonder out of my head and floated around the air above me. Thoughts quickly came and went in my head; first about my bird, then about the breakfast menu, then the court and their own private agendas, the nobles, the counts, the scholar ready with ink and paper in the background, and lastly a voluptuous thought or two about the maid beside me, at least until my careless mind had suddenly been interrupted by the loud hollering of my title two, then three times. 

 

"What?" I ask, almost shout, beginning to glare down at the woman before me "I said, you had a guest requesting to meet your acquaintance" they repeated them self in a softer tone, as I did not look one bit happy by the news.  
A guest? This early in the morning?  
"And who is this guest?" I question, growing more annoyed by this mystery person 

 

"They claim to be a powerful mage from the eastern kingdoms, and seek to bestow upon you a gift" she explained as she began to get more nervous of my dull, tired expression.  
I took a moment to swallow the putrid taste of tongue in my mouth before speaking again;  
"Fine, bring them in" I ordered as I began to slouch farther into my chair. Once the announcer had left the room to fetch this guest, my eyes had wondered back to my court, whispering about the mystery mage, and what they could have brought with them. Fools they all were. 

 

My eyes then landed on Tobejas, my trusted second hand, anyone could see that he looked to be just as amused as I was over the news this early in the morning. His violet eyes looked drained from last night's work, as his pale sunny hair was shrouding his face as a weak attempt to hide away his utter exhaustion. Looking down at him in mercy; through yawns, I had ordered him to go to the dining table a bit earlier, "not" so he could eat, but instead so he could ensure that Dimitri was placed and ready at the table. 

 

Once he had vanished from my sight with a grateful look on his face, I was left again at my seat, feet beginning to sink into slumber as my eyes grew tempted to do the same. The court had once again grown quiet by my lack of body language, only a few hushed conversations could be heard as my eyelids started to gently sink down lower and lower in every moment of somber silence. Once the powerful sound of the door then struck my nerves to full alertness, someone was stood quietly beside the announcer. 

 

Sitting back up in my chair, my eyes were drawn to the peculiar mage, seemingly shrouded in darkness from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. I felt hesitant to allow him any closer to my throne, yet a greetings to the strange guest had still stumbled out of my mouth as it was frozen shut after I locked eyes with the thing I somehow found in front of my court. They didn't respond to what I said, their eyes were cloudy, murky like the thick water of a half frozen swamp. Every joint in my body instantly grew cold, frozen and stiff as a board by his frigid stare, not a single word came out of the court, the guards, the staff, nor any other layer of the kingdom, as if they all had felt just as I did. 

 

"Anna" he said, calling my name and breaking me from my unmoving state, only with that single word as if it was an ice pick, as if it was some sort of unholy spell. "Who are you?" I quickly asked "Who are you to waltz into my court room today, and not address me by my own title? To not be kneeling at my presence?" I ordered, provoked by his very nerve to do such a thing; dead or not, I wanted his neck on a rope already, as my nervous hands drew closer to the amber hilt of my sword fastened besides my waist. 

 

"Me?" He spoke, already looming above my seat "Why... I'm the rightful owner of that chair you seem to be sitting on" he chuckled before taking a moment to think about the choice of his own words again. Looking back up at the insidious gleam in his eyes, my vision turned to my guards to take him, until my eyes had met with the horrific crime scenes of their bloodied, mute corpses. 

 

My heart stopped, as my eyes frantically flew to the court, the staff, each once a warm, living body in the room was now on the floor, cursed to be forever pale and unmoving, as if the most silent, deathly plague had swooped down to collect their souls, only to run away in a single moment. "So," he began, breaking me of my long stare "How about you move out of that chair, unless of course.... you would care to end up like your loyal court, kneeling eternally before you and I" he smirked 

 

"How..." My voice quietly muttered in awe at the powerful force before me, my hands frozen to my jade encrusted sheath "How does one do such a thing?What-... how would you even gain the nerve to do this? You.... you demon!" He had laughed at my ironic sense of empathy


	2. L'âme du Royaume

There is a kingdom sat in front of the bay, for three quarters of the year, its delicate legs are frozen to the ground, yet everyone is thawed by the caring heart of the ruler. 

 

There is a kingdom that dances to the loud, banging music of the festivals of spring. Though the festival only lasts four days, the song's beat still continues all year long, by the eternal heart of the ruler. 

 

There is a kingdom that flourishes in the light of day, its harbor packed full with various ships and hopeful merchants, store's doors are kept wide open for anyone to come in, big or small. Not a single tax collector carries a weapon of harm, by order of the ruler's merciful heart. 

 

There is a kingdom where magic is a passage way to wisdom and hope. Not a single mage nor sorcerer hoards their magic from others, as there always the never ending fountain of glistening mercury, flowing from the heart of the ruler. 

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

"l'érudition est une fuite loin de notre propre vie que nous n'avons pas le courage de regarder an face"

 

Those were the words carved into the blade of my holy sword, as the sheath was embroidered in pearls, jade, amber, and silks in order to protect the sharpness kept inside. 

 

"Rise, you pathetic vermin." was the first thing I could hear before I was kicked again to the side of a wall "It brings me no amusement when you mortals act so weak by being thrown across a room,"he teased in a bored tone as my eyes pried open to see him. Though my blood ran slowly onto the arches behind me, I still held onto the handle like it was my soul, like I was a loyal knight in the wake of battle. 

 

To make an attempt at preserving my honor, my hands quickly drew out the sword, running towards the grim, troublesome demon, I made a slash from the left of his waist, up to the right of his throat. He didn't even flinch. Slowly, he rose from his position and thus cast his all too familiar spell of frost over the world once more. A thin, colorless hand peaked out from his sleeve as the jagged fingers traced onto my body. I stood petrified, a familiar feeling I hadn't felt in years. 

 

The farther he drew his finger up my chest, the more my status was diminished, as if my robe had been ripped off my flesh like tender skin. Blood curled and seeped from my chest slowly as I was only permitted to watch it. Not a nerve had tinged with feeling as his hand drew back, and once I was disgraced, on my knees by the weight of my shame. He napped my crown like the foolish thief he was. 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

As the young heiress lay cold and bloodied, the dark spirit glanced down at their transgressions before them, taking a long rugged breath from their lungs in their glamorized seat. He looked to his pale hands, clean yet bloodied, cold yet still alive somewhere in that lump of flesh. His breaths had then soon transformed into quick gasp of air after quick gasp of air, his heart pounding faster and faster he couldn't believe what he had just done! 

 

The door opened slowly and carefully as Tobejas had brought his eyes to the grinning beast. 

 

If he chose to, he could do it again, and again and again, stealing the air from this pitiful mortal too, as his decisive intuition had almost clamped shut on deciding the verdict, until his heart abruptly stopped its pace. 

 

"Come here." he ordered the servant, still keeping himself upright on the throne. Tobejas took a moment, looking from side to side of the room, taking a little more than a moment to take notice of the pile after piles of bodies on the floor. Instincts took control of his joints as he had drawn himself backwards. 

 

His violet eyes had finally landed to the queen as his hands were glued to the now locked doors, trembling like a small rodent. "Come here." He ordered again, getting closer to losing his patience. As the words had finally reached the petite boy's head, he took one last moment before hesitantly going down the court and to the throne, acting as if every corpse in the room had wanted to latch onto the twigs he called legs. 

 

The demon took another moment to think, thinking about getting up, about the fate of this boy, about what to do with the queen, before ordering him to chuck her body out in the courtyard. 

 

"Make sure to lock the doors." 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

I need to remember Dimitri... Christian........ anyone to retrieve strength from in this echoey abyss. My death reeks of a quick defeat, thus, I must think about something to make the sinking weights lighter. So I can swim up the tide. I can't die in such a sad, pathetic way, can I? 

 

Suddenly a jolt of sensation electrifies at the root of my neck, it pokes against the nerves like a million tiny needles prodding and prodding by Satan's hand. Is this going to be the way my death be written in the texts? 

 

The great and noble Anna, had her eyes closed for the final time by the force of her own marble walls hitting her weak and untouched heart, too much for her to bear, she drew her final breath in front of her own perished court. 

 

No, how dare someone write that about me, I know those idiot scholars would go ahead and portray me as frail and flimsy, their own queen written off to be as only the mother Mary and not as the messiah such be the other kings! Before that ever happens, I would send my spirit to haunt the scholars until they wrote it in the manner that I approve of! 

 

The great and noble Anna, had her eyes closed for the final time after a long, treacherous fight against Satan himself. Forth his cruel tricks and plots had finally caught up to her, thus bringing her life to an end in only the most unfair way possible. 

 

Yes, yes, that was better. However, it needs to also portray my wisdom better as well, and my spirit too. And it simply can't be that short of a passage, along with it having to be something that Tobejas can have put into a series of stained glass windows. Only then will it be fitting for my grand au revoir to my people. 

 

But then, almost unfortunately, my eyes had slowly pried themselves open to see another day.


	3. L'argument enneigé

There was once a lad born from the dirty embers of coal, along with an old man with a wearing heart. The old man took care of the boy until he could no longer care for himself. 

 

The boy, heart broken, desired nothing but to help the old man, and buy him medicine to prevent the inevitable, but he had none to give. He ran into the forest, in search of treasure, in search of guidance, of time, and so, the leaves that brushed past him blessed his flesh, as the stars gave him all they had to offer. He came out of the forest in pearls, embroidered in soft peaches that fused to his skin like tumors. 

 

And so, he made do with what the forest had given him. He traveled all the way to the court, and traded his body, stitched to the gifts, in trade for silver coins. Maids sheared off pearls and silk ribbons as each pluck of a string felt like the cutting of a knife in his skin.

 

He was left bare and harvested, with 10 silver coins in his small hands, which he had used to buy medicine and cake for the old man. However, once he returned home, the old man was no where to be seen.

 

And so, the young boy, sat with his herbs and feast. Lay still in the empty shack only to cry the scars from his bloodied skin, and to spread the herbs on himself in hopes they were to sprout bandages. 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 

Snow is all my eyes were greeted to. I had been blessed to not having the feeling in my nerves express the utter spine killing horror of the piles of snow coating my pale skin. Yet I still writhed on the ground in pain and exhaustion, my blood had melted chunks of ice around me, as not a single tile of silk or cotton had coated my skin. 

 

I had been thrown in my own courtyard bare and freezing as if it was a cell. As if my arms had grown thick patches of hair, my feet thumbs, I had become merely an ape to gawk and poke at, as eyes blossomed from the windows and archways, all pointed down at me. 

 

At first it was quiet, it had just been one small chuckle from the audience that had triggered an uproar of laughter from the surrounding walls, haunting and mocking their own queen! If my lungs were strong enough at the time, I would of ordered all of their heads on steaks. My arms went to my head, blocking the sound as I curled myself deeper within the snow, as my arms, my entire core shook pathetically. 

 

Still, the chatter continued to haunt my ears, it no longer sounded human, instead it had started pouring out of every crevice of the walls to stain my body in a painful golden-colored sludge to mock me, as the pitter patter of bold foot falls creeped up the main hallway, he didn't even need to say anything for them to sow their own mouths closed. 

 

The creaking hinges of the doors sounded open then closed as the footsteps followed up to my shivering form. Not even looking at him, I could already tell he had crouched down to lean into my dripping ear. "Where are your manners?" He teases mockingly, carefully setting an arm on each shoulder to flip my stiffened body around to meet his horizontal pupils. "Won't you greet your new king?" Questions the demon before me. 

 

For a moment, my nerves almost on instinct wanted to grab for my invisible sword again, until I was forced to remember of my stripped status, as the gleaming jeweled blade that had once decorated my body was no longer there, but instead in the sharp claws of the sickly beast that was looming before me. How I desired to slice his hands off, to purée his eyeballs into a fine liquid substance, to tear his heart out, yet all I was able to do was to press my teeth against each other. 

 

My vocal cords take a moment to stretch and clear themselves before I'm able to speak "I will call you as king only when my flesh simmers in the creaky bowels of hell." I am too weak to move my limbs any longer or to take calmed breaths, but he knew that my stance would not budge. 

 

He observes me for a moment as if I was feeble prey. "You do realize that your skin is wearing weak on that flesh of yours. I'd presume that in maybe.... under an hour you'll be surely dead like this" he stops himself for a moment only to chuckle to himself over the thought of my dead bare boned corpse in the snow, my eyes rolling up to my forehead as stomach liquids might leak out of my mouth. "If you intend to survive tonight, I would recommend that you give up the rest of your dignity sweetheart, otherwise your harvest will surely perish." 

 

He had me pinned like a doctor's test subject, unmoving and numb, I already knew the two choices weighted down onto me. If I were to submit, if I were lucky, I'd be kept as a joke of the previous hierarchies for both my generation, and any previous. If I die here silently, the people will remember me as noble, but all traces of my rein will surely be burned from the books, then written again to depict me as eternally a fool. 

 

As for my harvest, anyone could tell that the man before me would ensure my kingdom's next years of harvest be rotten if he were to hold the soul of our nation. If I were to survive this night, there would be a chance of the heart still belonging to me at the end of the day, however, from the moment I first sat on the overly decorated chair upstairs, I had felt what every ruler before me had truly thought was the value of our lives. 

 

It was not in the name of our people or their harvests that we had made such favorable laws upon them. Instead, it had always been in the name of our legacies to remain as diplomatic as we all were.


	4. Trahidon À L'impératrice

There once was four sons who guarded the soul of their people. After their father had perished, they had no other choice but to watch as the eldest son came to the same fate. All brothers helplessly latched onto anything to save themselves from the public's radical but silent rebellion, all under kind smiles, chivalrous blessings, and gentle waves. 

 

All up until there was only one brother left with four corpses stuffed underneath his golden throne. The youngest of the brothers was the least cowardly of the four sons, however that was true only because of his own foolishness. With this small bit of blind bravery, he led his country down a path of chaos, as he sought to take an opposite approach to his brothers. 

 

As the people assumed a plague had began to infect the kingdom, tailored only to nobles and blue bloods, he had called the word to make any poisons illegal. As the weeks went by, rats and insects soon swarmed across not only the villages, but also the castle itself, as the brother was left distraught. 

 

In his courtyard, he looked down at his fountain of lustrous mercury, for it was the only place that the rodents didn't dare go. Yet they still dare scurry underneath his throne to fester and feast upon his dead family? They dare drink out of his own goblets of amontillado as if they them self had ruled the land? It was simply outrageous. 

 

He stared into the pond for the longest time; studying how each small ripple had been torn to and fro from the summers wind, until a reflection appeared behind his own. A dark, slender shadow had outstretched its own hands, thin and pale like moth wings hidden within its cloak of rat fur. 

 

The young king knew that even if he turned his head, it had already been too late. All of the maids were busy stepping on beetles, the guards distracted by carelessly stabbing rodents with the heads of their spears. No one heard his inaudible pleas for help as the thin hands wrapped around his soft throat, pulling him up off of his feet, then letting go. 

 

Laying at the bottom of the thick hazy fountain, only then did he realize how he had been chasing his own tail the entire time. There was no escape to the inevitable. And as his last breaths were crushed into his chest, his cold crumpled corpse had fallen down then landed on the pile of his own rotten family. 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 

Seeing through the heiress's intents, the demon, now self-proclaimed ruler of the nation, did not intend to have his fun to end this soon. He craved to humiliate her to his greatest extent, even if small specs of his psyche had yelled at him to stop, now that he knew that she didn't fear death as much as she did humiliation, he picked up his prey from the cold inverse ashes, and chose on bringing her back into the wolf's den. 

 

How pictures and sounds had ran through both their minds, he had imagined playing with her like how a wolf plays with rabbits. After all of the humiliation she had brought to his name, he had the intents to bring humiliation to her's tenfold, and after that, why, he would not stop at just tenfold. He would not stop at just an eternity of shame. He desired a banquet of humiliation be brought to her very being for as long as her name is spoken and so forth, until the glutton in this play has been desecrated out of existence, until she is shaped into nothing will he be satisfied with his right doings. 

 

The heiress was unconscious yes, however, her mind had been frantic, working nonstop, without any order, sending jolts to her brain stem, rushed jolts of panicked imagery of what was to happen next, fearing the worst about everything and anything that came to her windowed mindset. It's almost sad how a ruler can not weep for their country as much as they could for their own name be taken from them, however, her closed mind can not even comprehend what waits for her in due time. 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 

My hands were shaking as they clutched against the stone column, what have I done? I've betrayed my own ruler for one who plans to throw our civilization into chaos, our crops to ash. My eyes couldn't stop staring at the bank of snow I had once placed her on, only fate could tell what was to happen to her head, whether set underneath a guillotine, or shoved into her own fabrics for her to choke on. The empty bank had started to blanket over with more snow, erasing her marks as if she was never there. 

 

The hallways remained silent tonight, which had been a complete change from the once lively and loud passageways that they had once been just a day ago. I was alone, everyone else that had remained had already retired to feasting their next meals away from the new king as if nothing had changed today, heck, some people even seemed a little giddy to hear about her demotion in the ranks. 

 

As I made my way to the dining hall slowly, my ears began taking in the voices around the tables, some had spoken of how excited they were to finally get rid of Dimitri once and for all, others had been talking about our new ruler, oddly enough it seemed like no one had even known of his name yet, and of course there had been talk about the countless deaths today, but the most interesting conversations I heard were that of just normal friendly conversation. Normal. Conversation. At a time like this? Taking my place at one of the tables, I couldn't help but ask one of the men why, why at a time like this would they not talk about the horrors that had happened to our kingdom just moments ago?

 

He shrugged, "As long as there is ale in my cup, what sympathy do I have to give to things I have no control over?" he asked before taking another sip from his mug. After refraining from strangling him with several different rebuttals, I took a moment to actually reflect on what he had said; there was some truth in his words, yes. However, no one can tell what intentions this new ruler has, even though it was likely that no one would ever ban something as dire as alcohol to the public. 

 

I took a deep breath before looking off to one of our former queen's murals. Apparently, some of the servants had been instructed to take them down for the time being. I almost wanted to yell at them for what they were doing, but I couldn't be caught showing actions of betrayal to him. I wasn't dumb, but I never wanted to be regarded a traitor either. I'll make it up to my queen, I promise her that much for all that she has done for me, for everyone. Everyone else here though, they all are deemed as traitors in my eyes for being sloths over her rescue.


	5. La Topaze Cache De Vrais Sentiments

The world we know today had at one point been created by three gods. The first was said to be that of an angel of roots, the supreme and overall the most powerful of the three beings, the first god had sacrificed them self for the sake of the continuation of time itself. 

 

The second was quite the opposite of the first. If the first was an angel of roots, the second would be named as a devil of multicolor roots. Even though the second held lots of power, they never stood a chance to the first. The god had died after being tricked by their own sibling in the false promise of gain, as their greed had overseen their conscious. 

 

And lastly, the third god held balance. They had been represented as the roots itself. Even though the first was said to hold the most power, it is still believed that the third had held the most potential. They had ended up perished at the hand of time itself, a slow, and lonesome end of their story. 

 

All three gods were created and celebrated in the minds of the first people to walk on this world, only to be forgotten and slaughtered once the people had realized how useless they all were. What had they done to help them? What good did they do to society? For the most part, they only outlined that there was a need for rules to be made in the first place. 

 

And so, their obsidian stones that their existence was held on were smashed and left to decay, to be forgotten for the good of humanity. 

 

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 

 

As the former heiress awoke in her proper place, the new ruler had other plans, plans to finally greet his people. After looking in the mirror for an eternity, he had made sure to purge any specs of dirt or blood that may have once settled on his body. He looked back down at his dark lavish attire contrasting with his new topaz encrusted brooch, double checking that it was in compliments to his new complexion. Once all components had been checked off by his own standards, then once again double checked just to make sure, the doors opened when he gave the signal, as the remaining residents of the castle were sat at the table without him. 

 

 

From the time it took for the guards to announce his arrival to the people to the time the doors had opened, any signs from the audience of eating without their ruler had been swiped quickly off of the table, or spat out from their mouths. Victor knew of their actions anyways,but he had felt rather merciful in that moment. His footsteps echoed down the room as his pale hands went to claim his rightful seat, however, he did not sit. Letting go of the seat, he straightened himself again and looked back to his people, making sure he had their attention, insuring only his voice would be heard without need for any sort of ice spell. 

 

 

"Bonsoir, madams et monsieurs." He began, as his feet took him slowly to the back of his seat, hands clutching at the sides gently. "I will be happy to introduce myself, Victor Kiparis, as your new ruler. Furthermore, I hope that my sudden rebirth does not startle you." He gives his audience a patient humble smile before his eyes began wondering to Dimitri at the end of the room before he had quickly took his eyes off of it. 

 

 

"I hope to guide you all with my best intents, and hold onto this crown for decades to come; in which case, I'm terribly afraid that some of the rules and ideals that the former ruler had established may have to be gutted in due time, but never to fear, they will all be removed with valid reasoning and debate. Ergo, with that out of the way, I would like to begin this afternoon's feast with a toast." He starts, as he leans over, taking the goblet on the table and holding it up, waiting for the rest of his people to repeat his actions. 

 

 

"A toast to rebirth, and to the end of a long, meaningless era that will soon be put aside today." He finishes, people around the room then respond back with the clinks of toasting all around, all repeating with a "heart to your soul", however, Victor hadn't finished quite yet, as he walked to the person closest to him, and clinked his cup, he had actually begun small talk with him out of all things. And so on he went around the table with the intents to do the same to everyone in the room. 

 

 

As he did, however, he drew closer and closer to Dimitri, there, Victor grew more concerned and almost disgusted with what he was looking at. He couldn't help but to ask one of the people at the table just why he had been there. "Ah, once our former queen's betrothed had...perished, she had such a weak, sorrowful heart at the time that she gathered powerful mages and doctors from across to make him new again..." the timid woman explained, gesturing to the surprisingly fresh looking corpse that lay in a glass coffin beside the king. "It has been so many years after that day however, and still he looks sleeping almost-" she says "And so she married him?" He asks as she nods in return "you can't have a queen without a king after all." He nods back "right you are, however, I would have to argue that the same goes the other way" He chides, then laughs at her nervous reaction of her thinking that he could ever possibly reference to the person he was speaking with. 

 

 

In his head, everyone was egotistical, he thought to himself as he clutched his brooch. That woman had just been a joke of an example of his point. Therefore in his theory, in order to subdue his people back to a mindless sleep, he first must act like them.


	6. Cent Neuf Ans

Standing in a dark metal room, my eyes met with another pair neat me. He told me that I'm already done for before his eyes closed and a knot began forming in my stomach. I looked down only to realize the sickly shaped tumor below my skin, I screamed in terror. 

 

My blood had been scattered under my legs as I realized what had been happening, what knot lay within me was the impurity of life living inside of my womb. I howled for hours writing in pain as they slowly left me, and once they finally left my being, I felt happy that the small life below me was finally out, until a pain shot back inside of me again, I had brought no shears to separate our souls. 

 

 

My eyes shot open again to meet with nothing. It was just my imagination wasn't it. I was almost happy that my eyes felt open, however concerned that nothing was in front of me. When I moved my arms and legs met with nothing either besides with the sensation of floating at the top of a vast endless lake. 

 

 

Did they throw me out into the harbor? No... even if they did it wouldn't be this dark, there is no sky above me nor is there water below me. Even if I tried to swim out to somewhere else, I know that I would likely end in nowhere anyways, and so I was stuck waiting without sensations for the longest time. 

 

 

What had felt like a few hours of waiting, maybe even days, a sudden wave went past my being until another came past, and more until I was hit by a wall as the loud sounds of smashing of glass came to my ears. I had been let free from my senseless captor. 

 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 

Using both of my arms to stable myself from the now stained carpet, I looked over to my right to find the demon just sitting across the room calmly as he had been twirling a small spoon through a cup of tea. 

 

"Ah, you're finally awake now, are you? Come, have a seat and join me." He spoke, not leaving his attention away from his the table he had been resting one of his arms over. Even though fear had claimed my soul, I stayed put. "You are no king." I started, my voice frail and weak as I continued 

 

"You are no king, you hold no title to your name but killer. You may keep me barley alive for one hundred and nine years until I beg for the release of death as did the gods, but I will never call vermin such a title higher than what I am." I claimed, breathing harshly yet weakly as my ever flowing blood mixed with the dark substances around me. 

 

At last, he had set down his saucer and brought his eyes towards me. He did not laugh nor frown at the mockery I gave him, instead he gave me something else. With a blank face, he stood up and walked slowly towards me. My legs wanted to run away but I couldn't, not with the pathetic amount of energy left in me. 

 

Picking me up from the floor by my neck ignoring the substance that started to stain his shoes and hands, as was my entire body, he observed my face closely as I did his. His was completely blank, however, I knew his intents of reading my emotions, he wanted to read fear off of my face, and fear and anguish was all I had left to give. 

 

"You don't get it, do you?" He said in the quietest of tones as the grip around my neck grew tighter "You're nothing now. By the time the next sun rises, all of your scriptures will be nothing but ashes. You will have no name to the texts of our past nor will your heart have any value to your people. So what does it matter?" He asks, before abruptly dropping me back into the puddle I came from as he began walking away from me 

 

"What does it matter that you call me by the name I've worked so hard to gain? I promise you this Annabelle, you may say that not in a whole one hundred and nine years you will ever call me by my title, but I can assure you that you will be kneeling to me in only... one hundred and nine minutes." He smiles to himself as he goes back to to his seat. 

 

"Now, if you don't come and join me, well, I think we both know what will happen." It was true. I was weak on energy, and dying. I needed some form of energy and no one was going to feed me with a silver spoon now. I stood quiet for a moment contemplating, if it was true, if everything I've worked hard to build these past ten years had been all burned by tonight, I'll truly be forgotten in the panels of history, so why bother caring about my diplomatic tendencies now? 

 

What did I have to live for now that my name will never be able to be praised for generations to come? Did I really want to die this silently, or did I want to live? At this point, the best option that might come to be of me is that I'm banished from my own lands and forced to retreat to living as a commoner for the rest of my life if I was lucky. But even then, is the point of living worth what I want in life now? 

 

Something within me had been in there, telling me that there's still some hope, there's still a chance that the worst of it may be over soon, and so I leaned up and began to crawl over to him, as if I was a week feeble insect scavenging for food, it amused him. Getting to the table, I went to attempt taking a seat, however when I did, I was thrown halfway across the room again as my body couldn't take much more of this torment. 

 

"I never said you were allowed a seat" he chided as he took a sip from his cup, and so, I forced my arms to crawl again to him, to sit on the floor next him as if I was some sort of hound waiting for table scraps from their owner. Smiling and glancing down at me, he took something off of the tray and dropped it down next to me "you're starting to finally catch on...Good." He seemed to hesitate on the last word before going back to his tea. Looking down to what he threw at my side, it wasn't one of the small cakes or sandwiches that were a common place on my trays of tea. Instead it had been an apple, and when picking it up, it almost seemed perfect, until I had turned it around to find a large dark bruise over it.

 

Sighing and turning it back on to the nicer side, my mouth opened as my teeth closed onto a chunk of the crimson fruit.


	7. Eau Froide

Coming back into my own corridor, I took a seat at my desk to run my shaken fingers through my short yet muddled hair as I spent a few moments to catch my breath from all of today's hectic and chaotic series of unfathomable events.

I must write letters to my queen's allies, I'm sure that they can help bring her back to her rightful place on the throne, my hands quickly look around for my pen and paper as I get right on to the task of writing the letters as my head then frantically goes onto figuring who to send them off to, and what to even tell them.

Even if they did come here with their finest weapons and curses, their strongest knights and purest bishops, why, at the end of the day I'm just not sure if even all of that will be enough for a demon who can kill an entire innocent court in the blink of an eye! I'll have to urge them with the upmost secrecy then, yes. To come without word of any sort of violence in the proclamation of their stay. Yes, it is certain that this demon must be killed as soon as possible, however his strength might outmatch ours if we plan his execution too quickly, too rashly or loud.

And just like that, after the ink was dried, with the wax seals cooled down, and the paper folded into crisp envelopes, I sent my pleas through the jade light held above my desk. Just thinking about the "new king" made my intestines feel so very sicken, how dare he take down her paintings, how dare he sit in her seat, act as powerful as she was, as...... she was........ 

As she is no longer but...in a lower class, lower than my own class... my violet eyes went down to my hands, they're balled up. I... no. Greed can not reap away the noble queen's last hope. I need to visit the church, however, before I can even leave my seat, a loud knock sounded from my door. 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 

I ate it, the entire apple, even the rotten bits, all except for the core as my dignity dropped like a coat. His eyes kept to my pathetic figure before he looked back away in a sudden distaste "You're filthy, aren't you. Even your previous flowery scent has abandoned you." He claims before pinching his nose and inspecting me as if I was a dirty mutt that had somehow managed to make their way into his court. "Be grateful that I had the maids draw you a bath before our meeting" he says, looking over to the tub across the room, as I take a moment to crawl to it. 

I hesitate again as my muddled face reflects the water, yes, the dark substance I was coated in was gross and smelled odd, however, it was the only thing that was shielding my skin from his peering eyes. I didn't even get the chance to make that choice though, as I felt myself tumble into the cold nerve chilling water by a sudden, brash force as I heard more laughter from above the water shielding my ears. 

Taking a breath of air as my head plunged up above the tub, the laughter continued then abruptly stopped. Shivering, my eyes went to the corners of the room to avoid his gaze that I knew he was making at me again. It confused me so much how just minutes ago he didn't even hesitate to go ahead and pick me up from the unknown substance only for him to now look at me in distaste over it. He laughs at me like a foolish child then quickly redraws his laughter as if he can't make up his mind. The unpredictable gremlin that looms from across the room. 

Looking at the stains on the walls, it was as if they were never made, vanished from thin air by his unknown powers. Taking my eyes to my body, the thick substance I had been in just moments ago seemed to instantly vanish from the water as if it was ink, I didn't even need to scrub for it to leave from my skin or my hair,so there I was left entirely barren to the demon. My eyes lastly went back to him again, I couldn't help it. 

"Are you done?" he asks in a bored tone as he leaned down to pick up the apple core I left before setting it calmly onto the tray next to him. I look around for a towel or just something, anything to clothe my barren skin, as no towel was left besides the bath, however, luckily a blanket was hanging above a drawer. I answer with a hushed yes before managing to pull myself from the cold tub, my legs were surprisingly quick to making my way to the drawer where the blanket reside.

Wrapping it over myself, for a brief moment, I felt a bit relived until screams suddenly escape my mouth as the cloth soon burns my skin like a frying pan. My lungs cry out in pain as I fall again, the blanket leaving my skin so I can recover in ragged breaths, my hands clutch my burning shoulders only to find the skin untouched by burns.

"I guess I forgot to mention," he starts as I pull my head back to him, tears back in my eyes again. "I put a curse on you, nothing shall clothe your skin unless it has been harvested no more than... under one foot from the ground. " He explains as he swirls the cold tea in his cup with a tired expression, setting it back onto the tray and making the tray cease to exist. "Now come back to the table" Pursing my lips I walked slowly to him, following his order as my arms attempted to cover me, the cold water constantly dripping off of my body to stain the carpet.

"We have much to talk about."


	8. Souvenirs

As our former king was trained for the throne, his brother on the other hand, had been left to his own devices, unintentionally given freedom from without the crown looming over his head. Once he grew old enough, he traveled to far lands in search for his meaning, in search for life and of love. 

 

 

He found that he was able to charm any woman he came across with his well educated mind, and carefully groomed complexion, however, every woman he loved inside tavern beds, creeks, brothels, noble quarters had held no worth to him, he saw them all the same, and maybe they were the same, or perhaps greed loomed over the lad.

 

 

There came a day where he had visited an unusual town, you see as he went on his journey, every town and every tavern seemed the same, thought they had all held drinks of various tastes, rules and customs of various strictness, and languages of various familiarity, they all seemed the same. This town on the other hand held a much different tone, usually the people in every town were awake in the sunlight and sleeping or drunk in the moonlight. 

 

 

Instead, this town that gazed over the hot sun had been sleeping and slow moving in the day, but wild with life and awe at night. The prince made sure there were no festivals, this was their normal routine. When he checked into the tavern, even the usuals seemed different than what he normally saw from town to town. 

 

 

Women danced by themselves in silks and ruffled skirts instead of dancing with men in bland colors. The women had approached men instead of the other way around, and people drank wines with tastes unfamiliar to his tongue. He was captivated, and yearned for more.

 

 

Although, at the end, he could get rid of the alcohol, the captivating music or language, and even the women if it was in trade for the lady he met eyes with that had leaned against the balcony railing. Her hair was dark like ink, eyes filled to the brim with life and mystery hidden under long shadowy eyelashes as her wrists were hidden with burns yet no chains were shackled to her ankles, instead gleaming bells had replaced them.

 

 

And so, the whole night he went on, pining for the attention and affection of the girl. The girl however, only showed him distaste. She knew who he was, a prince of a boring and dull kingdom that she wanted nothing of. Her town taught her to desire life from the people she loved, therefore she knew she would never get any life nor adventure from him if she were to accept his desperate proposals, regardless of what the seer had told her weeks before, of how the shackles she once wore would be put onto her legs again in the near future. 

 

 

The prince however, without the burden of the throne had felt greed overcome every king's senses. He had never been declined something, been mocked like this before. And so, he had his servants take her away from her home, paid people to look the other way and calm her as if she was a nervous bull to be put out for the showing. If he couldn't have such an interesting woman when he finally found someone who was able to stick out of the crowd, to be able to match the wits of his own, he would just have to steal her. 

 

 

And so, for the rest of their days they lived in the kingdom together. He never went back to journey or venture, in fear that his wife would leave him, as she went on to dreaming of the life she could of had without him that was hopeless in the end.

 

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

 

"Much to talk about?" I mumbled quietly as I sat on the floor beneath him, shivering and spiteful. "Yes," he started before taking a moment to pause "Why do you have that.... scar on your leg?" He questioned as my lips pursed into a thin line. 

 

 

"...my mother... why she.... she sinned." I answered flatly as he hummed for a moment before letting the silence take us again, I inspected the cold wet leg, the pale scar had barley even been noticeable in color despite its decent size that had taken over the inner part of the thigh. 

 

 

"Are you sure that it wasn't perhaps, say your husband who did it?" "Then my mother would have fled for naught.....She....she did those sins that day in the name of your master. In the name of Lucifer, and everyone from noble to peasant knows it. So please, do not even dare mention my husband's name in such a foul manner ever again." He hummed for a moment as more silence came, as he took his time to think. 

 

 

"Your husband, Dimitri. Why did you make him into such a husk?" There he went at it again, "Dimitri..... he isn't a husk. He's my husband-" he cut me off with a roar of laughter "husband? A corpse, yet you don't title yourself as widower?"

 

 

Widower... the word seemed foreign to my ears after all of these years spent caring for him just as any other wife would to her husband. "I don't know how things work in your mind, but I've stayed devout to my husband for ten long years, loyal to him even after I take my own last breaths, and my loyalty to him is something you can not dream of stripping me of no matter how much you dehumanize and belittle my shape."

 

 

"It's cute how you word your sentences like that you know. You've only told yourself those things this whole time because for the ten years you've ruled this land, you fear a new king would kick you off the throne if you had married again. Correct?"

 

 

I kept quiet.

 

 

"You were forced to play a devout and pure innocent wife... a virgin so you could go ahead and make yourself ruler. You're no better than me, are you? Tell me you're as terrible as I am, admit it, and you have my word that I will let you off right here and now. 

 

 

You will no longer suffer if you'd just tell me the truth."


End file.
